Ruben Östlund’s The Square dominated the European Film Awards ceremony in Berlin Saturday night, winning six prizes: European Film, European Director, European Actor (Claes Bang), European Comedy, European Production Design (Josefin Åsberg), European Screenwriter. Yesterday it was also announced that The Square is nominated for a Golden Globe.
– Film i Väst congratulates Ruben Östlund on four European Film Awards for his movie The Square. We are deeply impressed with the artistic and public successes during the year beginning with the Palme d’Or in Cannes. We also pay tribute to Claes Bang, Josefin Åsberg, Katarzyna Lewińska and Leendert van Nimwegen for their EFA awards. Overall, Film i Väst’s co-productions has taken eight European Film Awards, which is a new record, says Mikael Fellenius, CEO of Film i Väst.
Katarzyna Lewińska was awarded for European Costume Designer in Film i Väst’s co-production Spoor by Agnieszka Holland and Leendert van Nimwegen was awarded European Hair & Make-up Artist for co-production Brimstone by Martin Koolhoven.
In addition Simon Vahlne’s short film Fight on a Swedish Beach was nominated for European Short. The film had its premiere in Cannes 2016 and is produced by Axel Danielson, Ellen Hallin and Erik Hemmendorff at Plattform Produktion and co-produced by Film i Väst.
Earlier this year Ruben Östlund´s The Square won Palme d’Or in Cannes. The film is a Swedish, French and German co-production, by and large shot and post-produced in the west region of Sweden with complementary shootings in Stockholm and Berlin during June-October 2016.
Film i Väst has co-produced all of Ruben Östlund’s feature films that have participated in Cannes over the years. Apart from The Square and Force Majeure, Involuntary (2008) was screened in Un Certain Regard and Play (2011) won Coup de Coeur i Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.
The Square is produced by Erik Hemmendorff at Plattform Produktion in co-production with Film i Väst, SVT, Imperative Entertainment, Essential Film, Société Parisienne de Production, Coproduction Office ApS, ZDF/Arte and Arte France Cinéma and with support of the Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Eurimages, the Danish Film Institute and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
